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 We came to realize that while individuals had a fear of retribution, the organizational structure of professionals did not. 

In every journey, there is always a first step. It's hard to pinpoint where and when professional health care organizations began supporting Medical Marijuana, but I'm going to make an educated guess and nominate the City of Berkeley, CA, which in 1977 called for the immediate access to medical cannabis for patients in writing. I myself came across that information one day in the late '80s while a Director at NORML. Berkeley was one of a few such institutions to issue such a statement, and it gave me an idea which my wife Mary Lynn (ML) Mathre, RN executed with stunning success.
   
ML was the Secretary of the National Nurses Society on Addictions (now the International Nurses Society on Addictions) and proposed a paper by that organization in support of a patient's right to medical cannabis. That was 1994, and it mirrored a similar resolution passed in 1993 by the Virginia Nurses Society on Addictions. Also in 1994, the first state nursing organization, the Virginia Nurses Association, issued their cannabis support statement after a briefing and request of Mary Lynn.

Despite these successes, we still had a support problem with our mission. Seeking MD's and RN's to help us in our educational effort, we kept hearing that they were with us but “don't use my name.” We came to realize that while individuals had a fear of retribution, the organizational structure of professionals did not.
   
In 1995 I co-founded Patients Out of Time (POT, a 501c3 educational charity) with ML to educate doctors, nurses and the US public about the therapeutic uses of cannabis. We kept at it. Now there are 14 state nursing associations supporting medicinal cannabis, and the leadership of the American Nurses Association has called for all US RNs to become educated about evidence-based science on medicinal cannabis. Doctors are also on the list in great numbers. The Florida Medical Association, 1997; American College of Physicians, 2008;  American Academy of Family Physicians, 1989 and 1995; Rhode Island Medical Society, 2004; and the Medical Society of the State of New York, 2004 are but some of the many.

But what about the American Medical Association? The AMA's Council on Scientific Affairs (2001) Medical Student Section (2008) and Pacific Rim Caucus (2008) are all on the list of supporters, while the AMA itself said in 1977 that no patient should be criminalized for cannabis use.

The complete list of supporting groups can be found at www.medicalcannabis.com.

Utilize this list as your state either debates allowing medical cannabis use or is discussing methods and symptoms applicable. Is your state nursing or medical association listed? If they are, you have powerful and knowledgeable health care professionals to employ against the naysayers and fear mongers. If they aren't, get busy and get them educated. Patients Out of Time will help you.

Al Byrne for Patients Out of Time